Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-08-06

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picture I'd hang itup'n the barn to keep
the hogs out!''
They were interrupted by Alice an
nouncing that supper was ready and all
gathered in the large cool kitchen where
it was served.
"Jes' set right down at the end thar,
Tom, an hep yourself" F" said Zachariah,
with wave of the hand to the new man.
He did not need second invitation and
moved on the excellent supper which
Alice had prepared as if he was in the
habit of carrying such things before him.
He gave his undivided attention to the
business in hand and Mr.. Daybaugh failed
to detect him SO much as glancing at his
daughter Alice, who sat opposite, though,
to tell the truth, an impartial observer
could not have blamed him much if he
had embraced every opportunity for
gazing ather, for she was certainly worthy
Of any mans attention. Plump, rosy
checked, brown-eyed and-well, l will
say very pretty and let it go at that-it
did lot seem strange that so many of his
predecessors had fallen victims to her
charms, or that the last one had even
been detected in taking pie from her
hands through the pantry window, espe-
cially as no one denied that she offered
him the pie, and, in fact, encouraged him
to eat it; and still further that it was a
piece of Mrs. Drybaugh's famous dried
pumpkin pie and an inch thick.
But if Tom had been at all moved by
the charms of Alice he failed to betrsy it
by look and kept up his attacks on the
bread-plate in way that somewhat
alarmed the worthy Zachariah. Alice
however, either from a smaller appetite
or curiosity or coquettishness, or-there
isn't room here to make catalogue of the
different feelings which are liable to
move the female mind, so | will say, or
something-did not fail to observe this
addition to the "men folks" of the
family. She certainly didn't find any
thing very handsome, though she did
not find herself prepared to say that he
was quite SO bad looking as Zachariah
had said. He was tall, raw-boned, with
hair of sort of undecided shade with
strong leaning toward red, and i'm
mensely large hands and-a good ap-
petite. He looked intelligent and
like good fellow generally. While
Alice admitted to herself that he was
far from being as handsome as some Of
the other hired men who had risen and
fallen in the Daybaugh family, at the
same time she decided that there
were without doubt many worse young
men in the world and that, as much as
his looks were against him, she could
conceive that the time might come when
she would see her way clear to administer
to him pie, dried pumpkin pie, from the
pantry window. Though the thought
did occur to her that even if he should
recover from the effects of the meal he
was now eating it would be exceedingly
doubtful if he would have any desire for
anything so substantial as dried pump
kin pie an inch thick for some time.
At last Tom stopped eating, evidently
more because the others did than from
any personal reason.
"Jes' give the hogs bout four buckets
O. that swill in the bar'l by the door an
pump up the trough full o. water an
turn the hosses out'n the pasture, an
then ye better go Z bed cause we
want'o be out o. bed gin sun-up in
the mornin'," said Zachariah to Tom as
they rose from the supper-table. 81
swar, Hanner," he continued, after Tom
went out, did ye see how he waded in
to the bread N butter2''
''He did pear t. have powerful good
appetite"
''Wall, / should say sol WY thought
he'd kill himself dead. If the blame
cuss keeps eatin' like that he'll eat us
out o. house m home. If he slows il
way like that now wot'll he do when he
gets T. diggin post holesr'
81 dunno, Zacharier, yer the one what
hired him."
'Ireckon, pap, the feller mightn't o.
had any dinner, still, I" remarked Alice.
Zachariah looked at Hannah and Han
nah looked at Zachariah. If Alice wasn't
standing up for him already-and a man
whose looks were so against him, too
Must that dreadful pumpkin pie episode
be repeatedl They both groaned-in-
wardly--and Zachariah went out to see
that the hogs were properly fed, and Han
nah to water some choice cabbages.
The next day the grand attack was
made on the post-holes. For several
days following, the post-hole and barbed
wire fence campaign was kept up. Then